March 30, 2020

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students:

We are now into week three of our school closures due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Things are changing quickly, and we are sometimes issuing updates on a dime, several times a day. It is so important that you stay in tune with the District. Please check our website, YouTube Channel, Facebook, Twitter and All Calls daily (or even two or three times a day!). We know you have questions – those venues are where you’ll find the answers.

Here are some updates:

• The State Education Department has announced that the School District Budget vote and elections have been postponed until at least June 1, 2020.
• On a special and very important note, we will provide food over Easter Break, but we will not provide food on Good Friday. Lunches and breakfasts may be picked up between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at any District School. On March 30, 2020, the District distributed 4,476 meals.
• There are no remaining paper learning packets at any school. All learning materials for all grades are available on our website COVID-19 page.
• The Board of Education will meet this Thursday, April 2, at 5:30 p.m. Due to the social distancing guidelines, this meeting will not be open to the public, but will be live streamed on YouTube and later posted and transcribed.

Teachers, next week we will be providing you with training in website creation as a vehicle to reach out and share work with students.

Tuesday (3/31/20) at 4:00 p.m., I will meet with two Niagara Falls High School students and answer their questions. The Q & A session will be broadcast on Facebook Live.

The Niagara Falls City School District has accomplished a lot in the past few weeks. I have witnessed teamwork like none other. We are the heartbeat of the community and we are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep our community safe, informed and calm as we wait out this crisis. Be well.

Niagara Falls City School District Superintendent Mark Laurrie